Child and youth participation in the Individual Development Plans (IDP)

1. Child and youth participation in the Individual Development Plans (IDP) Quality in Alternative Care International conference Prague 2011 Gražina Kašlėjūtė, Psychologist SOS Children Village Vilnius, Lithuania

2. Individual development planning • Individualized view to each child/young adult. • Involves all people, responsible for the child/young adult. • Holistic approach to child/young adult development – to support strengths and to minimize weaknesses. • Child/young adult takes part in his developmental planning and takes responsibility for his/her future. • Every year we plan budget according to IDP.

3. Individual Development planning process in SOS Families • Formal – once a year - pedagogical team - SOS mother - child/youngster • Informal – twice a year - psychologist/social worker/director - SOS mother - child/youngster

4. Individual Developmental planning Participants in SOS Children Village

5. Individual Developmental plan Participants in SOS Youth Care programs Formal • Youngster • Educator • Youth care program director Informal • Youngster • Educator

6. Individual development planning: documentation • Individual development form – status quo information. • Individual development plan– setting goals and making action plan to reach them.

7. Individual Development Form: Developmental areas

8. Individual Development Form • Enables to gather detailed information about the child – status quo. • Divided into developmental areas that could be viewed separately - confidentiality of other information (exp.: participation of school educator while discussing Cognitive development area). • Enables to match important areas where attention should be paid. • Individual Development Plan (goals and action plan) is separate from the information form – easy to use, to compare with previous plans, to renew, to follow, to involve the child participation

9. Individual development plan: Goals 1. LONG TERM – 6 -10 years. • Proffesion • Job • Housing (place to live) • Social Skills(communication, social integration) • Life skills (houshold, bills, dealing with money) • Emotional stability (ability to attach, to keep relationship). 2. MIDDLE TERMGOALS – specific, 2-5 years. 3. SHORT TERMGOALS – 1-2 years. Specific, realistic, measurable, clear responsibilities and time frame.

10. Example: profession Girl, 14 years old.

11. Action plan

12. Individual Development Planning process • Filling in Individual Development Form – information – SOS mother and psychologist • Presenting status quo information about the child for the pedagogical team (director, social workers, psychologist). • Exchanging additional information about the child – report/characteristic form school, kindergarten, educators, specialists, pedagogical evaluation results etc. Involving direct participation if needed. • Considering Child questionnaire (child indirect participation) - questions, ideas, recommendations. • Setting goals, writing an action plan, taking responsibilities – (child direct participation).

13. Child/young adult participation Directly • 3) Youngsters in SOS Families that will be going to youth care program (16 +) • Youngsters in youth care programs Indirectly – prior to Individual Development planning • 1) Child friendly questionnaire • 2) Conversation – SOS mother, psychologist From the age 12+ child signs on his individual plan where he took his responsibilities.

14. Child friendly questionnaire • Include all areas of child development. • Fun and easy for children to fill in. • Enables to see the child’s ability to evaluate realistically his/her strengths and difficulties. • Enables to evaluate child’s ability to see the perspective for the future and plan steps to reach the goals. • Enables to compare child’s view of himself with the view of SOS mother and other adults responsible for the child. • Gives a clue to the child’s personality.

15. Other methods * Progress tree - tells about child feeling and view of himself and others in SOS Family or community - could you match, where are you in your SOS family and where are other members. Where would you like to be? * Parachute - learning to set goals, to foresee the difficulties and challenges and to indicate the needed support.

16. Individual Development Planning – why it is important? • Individualistic approach – we notice the child and we hear his/her voice. • Encourage to take responsibility for their own life and future. • We teach to raise realistic goals and support in actions needed to reach them. • Structured process - realistic and clear view and perspective of the future – “I live here until… then I study and live there until…I need support for studies” • ID planning process helps constantly and gradually to prepare youngsters for independent living. • Possibility to keep in touch with young adults in after care programs.

17. Challenges • Parentalistic approach: Some children in SOS families don’t feel the Individual Development Plan as their plan - • Combining “our plan for the child” with “the child’s plan”. • Preparation for direct child participation in his Individual Development plan is needed and it depends on child self-confidence, emotional maturity, support and relationship with SOS mother.

18. Good practice • Children come back to modify or review their plans. • Success in reaching child/young adult goals strongly depends on: - child/young adult himself - emotional maturity, responsibility. • support they get from important adults and the surrounding. Youngsters of youth care program in 1-2 years show initiative themselves to write their individual development plans, indicate the support they need and realize that it is their responsibility for their future.

19. How to reach the child?

20. The story: The little prince and the fox (A.Exiupery) • "Who are you?" asked the little prince, and added, "You are very pretty to look at." • "I am a fox," said the fox. • "Come and play with me," proposed the little prince. "I am so unhappy." • "I cannot play with you," the fox said. "I am not tamed." • "What does that mean-- 'tame'?“ • "It is an act too often neglected," said the fox. It means to establish ties." • "'To establish ties'?“ • …..

21. "One only understands the things that one tames," said the fox. • "What must I do, to tame you?" asked the little prince. • "You must be very patient," replied the fox. "First you will sit down at a little distance from me-- like that-- in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day...“

22. How to talk that the child would listen and how to listen that the child could talk? • The child must feel that he is listen to and taken seriously. • The child must feel that what he says is important and it will be considered and written in his plan. • The child must feel that he is respected and there’s no prejudice against him. You are a partner. • To stress the positive side of the child and support his strengths. • Take “not knowing position” and ask, share ideas. • Put your idea “on the table” – let the child to decide - whether to take it or not. • Support the child’s ideas and plans enthusiastically and encourage him.

23. THANK YOU